Abilene, the most advanced research and education network in the United States, today announced the completion of its upgrade from 2.5 Gigabits per second (Gbps) to 10 Gbps. The Internet2 backbone network upgrade quadruples the capacity to more than 15,000 times faster than a typical home broadband connection. Abilene partners, Indiana University, Juniper Networks and Qwest Communications, provided the equipment and services to successfully implement the network upgrade. The Abilene upgrade gives researchers, students and professors at more than 200 Internet2 member institutions a more robust network, on which to conduct research; supports both Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and native IPv6 networks; and increases overall network performance. "With the upgrade now complete, Abilene continues to provide the Internet2 membership with a vehicle for advancement and development through a leading-edge, national network environment," said Internet2 president and CEO, Douglas Van Houweling. "Many thanks go to our partners who made the upgrade a smooth process with their ongoing support." New routers were installed across the 13,000 route-mile national backbone, and all but one OC-48c circuit was replaced with an OC-192c circuit. In the process, several router locations were changed, but all remain collocated in Qwest points of presence (PoPs). "This upgrade of Abilene is a significant milestone in achieving the goal of providing advanced network capabilities for teaching and research," said Indiana University associate vice president for telecommunications, Brian D. Voss. "Indiana University is delighted to be a partner in Abilene, and we are proud to host the Abilene Network Operations Center and to have provided the hands-on expertise for this upgrade of Abilene." "We are proud to work with Internet2 on upgrading the Abilene Network to 10 Gigabits per second performance with our T-series routing platforms," said John Jamison, director of Research and Education Markets, Juniper Networks. "We are confident that our products and services will deliver the highest levels of performance to Abilene users on Internet2 campuses underscoring our dedication to meeting the technology demands of higher education." "Qwest's contributions to the Abilene Network represent the company's position of leadership in the broadband IP marketplace," said Clifford S. Holtz, executive vice president, Qwest Business Markets Group. "Through Qwest's nationwide network, Internet2 member institutions can count on the fast, reliable transfer of communications, contributing to the success of their research endeavors."